Ideas 4 Action Winner Receives Opportunity to Study at Wharton
Many students have dreams of attending competitions or conferences abroad and I am grateful to be one of those who managed to experience this – and not just once. Thanks to Tanoto Foundation, an independent family philanthropy organisation founded by Sukanto Tanoto and Tinah Bingei Tanoto in 1981, I was able to attend one international conference and one mentoring program.
First, I went to Singapore to attend the Asia Student Leadership Conference (ASLC) from 5 to 8 July, 2019. At ASLC, I met many young Asian representatives and participated in many discussions about the important issues that the world is facing, ranging from refugee crises to gender inequality, lack of access for people with disabilities, and the misuse of social media. What I really liked about the ASLC is how we were taught about social entrepreneurship, and how I was able to build networks with many great, young peers.
The second opportunity was even more valuable to me, as I got to be mentored at The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, United States from February 16 to 20, 2020. This opportunity was granted after my team, WeHelp.ID, won the Ideas for Action Incubator Competition (I4AIC) at the national level.
The Ideas for Action Incubator Competition was a joint initiative between Tanoto Foundation and the Wharton School, inviting Indonesian students and young professionals to develop and share their ideas for financing solutions to deliver the SDGs. The winners of the competition would receive valuable mentoring from Wharton professors, in preparation for competing in the Global Ideas for Action Competition.
I first learnt about the I4AIC from Tanoto Foundation. As a Tanoto Scholar, I often get plenty of interesting information about leadership programs both at the national and international levels. As soon as I heard about the competition, I immediately invited my friends – who are all also Tanoto Scholars – to form a team with me and join the competition. We spent some time brainstorming before finally deciding on the topic of ‘Protection of Women and Children in Makassar’. According to the data we obtained, the number of women and child abuse cases in the province is quite high.
We then decided to make a mobile app – called WeHelp – which was also the name of our group. The app is an online consultancy, providing guidance to victims of violence, with a focus on female and child victims. We work together with lawyers and psychologists to become consultants who provide advice and solutions to the victims.
We decided to create this online consulting service because victims of violence usually find it extremely difficult to share their experiences, when asked to report directly to the authorities. People tend to be more open about the problems they face when their identities are kept secret during an online consultation.
When I was in junior high school, I was a Child Ambassador for authority of Sidrap district, South Sulawesi. At that time, I was a peer counselor and spent time listening to my friends about their worries and problems. From this experience, I learned quite early on that people sometimes have problems but do not have the courage to tell anyone, either because of shame or fear.
As a millennial, I really hope that WeHelp.ID will help provide solutions to many people in the community, and that their lives consequently improve as a direct result.
This article was written by Nur Efendi Darming, Tanoto Scholar from Hasanuddin University
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